What I Meant to Say
by Jessica B
Summary: Can Sara and Grissom get past their communication problems? Please R&R. Final chapter up. COMPLETE
1. The Encounter

What I Meant to Say  
  
Summary: Can Sara and Grissom get past their communication problems?  
  
Spoilers: Play With Fire for sure. There may be more later on.  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. not at all. Although I wish I owned Grissom ;)  
  
Author's note: This is not my first fanfic, but is my first G/S fic. Please R&R. Tell me what's good and what stinks (nicely of course). Constructive criticism is a writer's best friend.  
  
_________________________________  
  
Sara's expression was serious. She stared straight ahead, determined to say exactly what she had to say.  
  
"Do you have a minute?"  
  
She stopped and thought, "No, that won't work. He could say, 'No, I'm busy.'" She stood staring at her reflection in the mirror.  
  
"Look what he's done to me."  
  
There she stood, Sara Sidle. Independent and headstrong woman turned lovesick teenager, just at the thought of finally confronting Grissom and not walking away. She was so terrified that she was actually rehearsing. Something she had never done before. Something she never had the need to do before.  
  
"Just go in and say 'I need to talk to you.' It'll sound important. work related."  
  
She grabbed her keys and headed off to work.  
  
Things were quiet at the lab. She walked down the hallway and saw Grissom's door open. She wondered for a second if he was there until she saw him walk over to his desk and sit down, folder in hand. Her pace suddenly slowed. Second thoughts?  
  
"Nerves," she thought. Her brain told her to move forward, but her legs wouldn't work. In her mind she screamed at herself and her legs seemed to be moving again. Grissom looked up as Sara entered his door and she stopped.  
  
"You're here early, Sara."  
  
"Yeah, uhhh. I need to talk to you."  
  
"What about?" He motioned to the chair as an invitation to sit, but Sara didn't sit. She was too nervous to sit.  
  
She took a few steps forward then stopped, "I. There's something I thought you should know."  
  
Grissom looked her right in her eyes, waiting for her to continue. This didn't escape Sara's attention, and she quickly got lost in his baby blues. Grissom started to worry that it was something really serious.  
  
"Sara. are you okay?"  
  
She snapped out of her daydream, "Yeah. I'm fine."  
  
"So, what is it I should know?"  
  
She collected her thoughts, "The day the lab blew up, the day I asked you to dinner."  
  
"Sara.."  
  
"No, let me finish. That day, I wanted to do more than just ask you to dinner, but the explosion."  
  
She stopped to collect herself. How could she tell him that the explosion had scared her? That she wanted to ask for more but she was so shook up she settled for dinner? Now she was having second thoughts, but she forced herself to continue.  
  
"I was coming to your office to see you that day to tell you.. to tell you what I wanted."  
  
"What do you want?"  
  
"But the lab blew up."  
  
"Sara."  
  
"I took it as a sign that it was a wrong to want more, but even then I had to ask for something, so I asked for dinner."  
  
"You want more of what?"  
  
She had tried to ignore his questions hoping she could just get everything out, but the doubt was back full force and she felt like the lovesick teenager again. She was trying to think of a way out when Warrick stuck his head in the door.  
  
"Hey Griss, everyone's here. We're just waiting for you."  
  
Sara turned and left, passing Warrick, leaving Grissom to wonder exactly what she'd been trying to tell him. He thought he knew, but the investigator in him wouldn't allow him to jump to conclusions.  
  
"Assume nothing," he whispered.  
  
Warrick raised an eyebrow, "Huh?"  
  
"I'll be right there. I need to switch around a few of the assignments." 


	2. Assignments

What I Meant to Say - Chapter 2  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. not at all. Although I wish I owned Grissom ;)  
  
Author's note: Thanks for the feedback. It's greatly appreciated. Please R&R. Tell me what's good and what stinks (nicely of course). Constructive criticism is a writer's best friend.  
  
_____________________________  
  
Grissom walked into the conference room. The rest of the team was already seated; Sara next to Warrick with Catherine and Nick across from them. That left the two heads of the table open for Grissom. He decided to take the chair next to the boys, away from Sara. No one needed to see the dirty look she would give him when he handed out assignments.  
  
"So," he exhaled as he sat. "It's a slow night people. Enjoy it."  
  
Every head nodded in agreement, except Sara's. The only way she would enjoy this night would be if she were told to go home. She couldn't believe what a fool she had made of herself in Grissom's office.  
  
Grissom continued, "Warrick and Nick, you have a jumper across town. Police suspect foul play." He slid the file to Nick as Warrick spoke up.  
  
"So the jumper may have been pushed?"  
  
"Possible, but until the evidence shows otherwise, he's a jumper."  
  
"Gotcha."  
  
"Catherine, I need you to stay here at the lab. Help Nicky and Rick if they need it, and there are a few pending cases on my desk. I'd appreciate it if you would check up on those for me."  
  
"Piece-o-cake."  
  
"I got a call this evening from the Sheriff of a small town about three hours from here. A B&E, one man dead. We're the closest crime lab, so Sara and I are on this one."  
  
He wasn't disappointed. There was the look. First she was shocked, and then she was pissed. No one else seemed to notice.  
  
Nick grinned, "So, the boss man takes the best case for himself?"  
  
"This time. I like the drive. It helps me think."  
  
"Just promise me I get to go on the next road trip."  
  
"Deal."  
  
Warrick, Nick and Catherine stood and left, but Sara stayed behind, staring at the table with her arms folded. Grissom had expected anger, shouting. Her silence was starting to worry him.  
  
"Sara?"  
  
She glared at him as she stood, then turned to leave. Grissom called after her.  
  
"I'll meet you outside in ten minutes."  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Ten minutes later, Grissom walked outside to find Sara sitting in the Tahoe. He walked around to the driver's side and climbed in. Sara stared straight ahead and Grissom decided to try to feel her out.  
  
"You ready?"  
  
"Yes," she said without moving.  
  
That was all he got, but Grissom knew she wouldn't be quiet about this for long, and not five minutes into their trip she proved him right.  
  
"That was a dirty trick."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Why are you on this case while Catherine is back at the lab? It could just as easily been the other way around."  
  
"It was, but I changed it."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because we need to talk."  
  
"Oh, you want to talk? Okay. Let's talk. How about we discuss the fact that we haven't worked a case alone together in months and now suddenly you're swapping out assignments so we can talk?"  
  
"We can talk about that later. I was referring to what happened in my office half an hour ago."  
  
Sara got quiet again and Grissom got the feeling this was going to be a long trip. 


	3. Road Trip

What I Meant to Say - Chapter 3  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. not at all. Although I wish I owned Grissom ;)  
  
Author's note: Thanks for the feedback. It's greatly appreciated. Please R&R. Tell me what's good and what stinks (nicely of course). Constructive criticism is a writer's best friend.  
  
__________________________________  
  
"I'm serious, Sara." We need to talk about this."  
  
Sara cringed. There was that word again. THIS. I don't know what to do about THIS. We need to talk about THIS.  
  
"What 'this' Grissom?"  
  
He paused. "Our relationship."  
  
"What relationship?"  
  
Grissom shook his head. It was like pulling teeth with her.  
  
"What relationship? At the very least we're co-workers, Sara. More than that, I thought we were friends."  
  
His words reminded him of what she had said in his office. She wanted more.  
  
"We were once."  
  
Was that it? She felt they weren't friends anymore and she wanted more than a working relationship?  
  
"We were great friends, Grissom. We're still friends, but things have gotten... complicated."  
  
Inwardly, Grissom began to panic. His instincts had been right. She wanted more than friendship. He could be daft, but not that daft. This is what he was afraid of. This was what he fought to push out of his mind every time his heart entertained the notion of loving Sara, and her loving him. It was what could never happen, for so many reasons. Their jobs were one concern. If they were to build a romantic relationship, and were discovered, one of them could be transferred, maybe fired. He was her supervisor. It would not look good that he was dating her.  
  
Then there was the age difference. This is where his self-doubt surfaced. How could he even think that Sara could be attracted to him? He was twenty years older, his hair was graying, and his physical appearance - he knew he was not as fit as he used to be. True, he was no slob, but in his mind Sara could do better. She belonged with someone with a physique like Nick or Warrick. There were just so many complications.  
  
The silence made Sara turn to look at him. What was he thinking?  
  
"Does this mean out talk is over?"  
  
"Not by a long shot. I just needed a moment to think."  
  
"About?"  
  
"That's not important right now. We'll get to that eventually."  
  
There was silence again for a few minutes, until Grissom decided to continue.  
  
"So, why, exactly, did you come into my office this evening?"  
  
She was silent, her eyes darting around the horizon like she was trying to come up with something.  
  
"The truth, Sara."  
  
She sighed, "I was drunk."  
  
"You were not drunk."  
  
"No. You're right. I wasn't. Insane is more accurate."  
  
Grissom gripped the steering wheel tighter to keep his anger in check.  
  
"Can we be adults here?"  
  
"I don't know, Grissom. Can we?"  
  
"I'm trying, but you're making it awfully hard."  
  
Tired of fighting, and feeling a little guilty, Sara let her defenses down.  
  
"You're right. I'm sorry. I just don't see why we have to talk about it. Can't we just forget it?"  
  
"Maybe you could, but I can't."  
  
She looked at him again, "Why not?"  
  
"The look on your face before Warrick came in. I can't quite describe it, but I saw terror, and if talking to me does that to you I'd like to know why. I don't ever want to intentionally hurt you, for any reason. I need to know what's going on."  
  
Sara could feel tears, so she turned to look out her window.  
  
"I went to your office to explain something to you about the day of the explosion."  
  
"I gathered that much."  
  
He was about to remind her of what she had already told him, but decided to let her get it out at her own pace.  
  
"Right before the lab exploded, I was following you to your office."  
  
His eyebrow went up.  
  
"I was hoping I could catch you alone for a minute, but someone beat me to it. I had wanted to tell you - - Anyway, I decided it could wait. I started to walk back to the lounge, then - boom."  
  
Her tone was flat. Grissom's heart broke. He had been so thankful she and Greg survived that. Greg, for the obvious reasons, but there had been a deeper concern for Sara.  
  
" I took that as a sign that I shouldn't tell you what I had planned to tell you, but, me being me," she chuckled, "I couldn't just abort my entire mission. So, I asked you to dinner. You know the rest."  
  
Grissom was confused.  
  
"There's more - something you're not telling me. What happened in my office this evening was not a result of you telling me you had tried to talk to me before the explosion. What was it you wanted to tell me?"  
  
"I - Grissom, you know!"  
  
"No, I don't! I assume things, but how can I know if I'm right or wrong unless you tell me?"  
  
"I --," She looked out of the window, then straight ahead, her nervousness clear. "I wanted --." She paused, and then worked up enough courage to look directly at him. Her silence finally made him look at her, and she said it.  
  
"I'm in love with you!"  
  
That was it. She finally said it, but the look on his face made her regret it.  
  
"See, now we're at a whole new level of complication. That's why I didn't want to say it. Now, it's out there, and I can't take it back."  
  
"Do you want to take it back?"  
  
"Yes!"  
  
"Why?"  
  
"How about that appalled look on your face? Is that reason enough?"  
  
"This isn't appalled, this is shocked."  
  
"Oh, please. Grissom, you've always known."  
  
"No. No, I knew when you had a crush on me. I knew, or assumed that I knew, when you had a growing attraction toward me, but I never knew this."  
  
Sara became livid.  
  
"Damn it, Grissom! Would you stop using that word!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"'This!' Stop referring to our relationship as 'this!' It makes it sound unimportant!"  
  
Grissom looked like he wanted to say something, but nothing came out. Sara couldn't take the silence, so she decided to throw the ball back into his court.  
  
"So, you got me to admit it. What are you going to do now?" 


	4. Arrival

What I Meant to Say - Chapter 4  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters. not at all. Although I wish I owned Grissom ;)  
  
Spoilers: Season 3  
  
Author's note: Thanks again for all the feedback. It's greatly appreciated. Please R&R. Tell me what's good and what stinks (nicely of course). Constructive criticism is a writer's best friend.  
  
________________________________________  
  
Grissom sighed.  
  
"To be honest, I don't know what to do about us."  
  
Sara smiled at 'us'.  
  
"So, you're saying there is an 'us'?"  
  
"I'm acknowledging the possibility, yes."  
  
"Is that an admission of want?"  
  
Grissom paused. He hadn't thought about what he would say when it was time for him to admit his feelings.  
  
"Well... you dragged it out of me. Now it's your turn. Do you want to be involved with me romantically?"  
  
Grissom looked at her.  
  
"Yes."  
  
Sara couldn't fight the smile that came upon her and it made Grissom chuckle.  
  
"But want doesn't justify the act, Sara. There are so many complications involved."  
  
"I know. You're my supervisor, but there has to be a way for us to work together and still BE together."  
  
"You mean other than hiding it?"  
  
"Yeah. What if all my paperwork, reviews and all, go through Catherine first? That way no one can claim favoritism."  
  
Grissom grinned at her quick solution.  
  
"Think about this a lot, do you?"  
  
"More than I should, probably."  
  
They both laughed. Grissom laughed mostly because he was relieved. Talking about their relationship was a lot easier than he thought it would be. He still had doubts about actually pursuing a romantic relationship with Sara, but at least they would get through those decisions together now.  
  
"That solution would take a lot of shifting of responsibility, and everyone may not agree to it."  
  
Sara nodded, and Grissom felt the need to bring up the other issue.  
  
"You know, it's not just work."  
  
"What else?"  
  
"Our ages."  
  
"What about them?"  
  
"There's a big gap between them, that's what."  
  
"Does it seem like I care about that?"  
  
"I just -"  
  
"Wait! Before you even start, let me tell you, without swelling your ego TOO much, I find you attractive. Every line on your face and every gray hair on your head. You're hot, Grissom!"  
  
His eyebrow went up, "Hot?"  
  
But that's not what made me fall for you. You have a wonderful personality when you're not being totally anti-social."  
  
Grissom sighed. One day he would tell her about his hearing loss. It had made him an introvert. The surgery had been a success and now his hearing was as good as ever, and he promised himself that he would go back to the old Grissom. The man he was before his hearing started to go.  
  
"Sara, we're not going to come to any conclusions on this tonight. Why don't we just sit on what we've talked about? Let everything sink in. Besides, you should really read over the information the Sheriff faxed over before we get there.  
  
She nodded, "Okay."  
  
She opened the folder, then paused and looked at Grissom.  
  
"You know... this really was a dirty trick."  
  
"I know... I'm sorry."  
  
"You should have done it a long time ago."  
  
They both grinned, then settled in for the rest of the trip.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
As Grissom pulled up to the Sheriff's station, his doubts began to rise again. He had been watching Sara out of the corner of his eye, and she had yet to read past the first page of paperwork. She just stared at the page, grinning. It was already interfering with work.  
  
But he knew he couldn't just write the whole thing off as a mistake. He was in too deep now. He just had to make sure she knew the boundaries of their work relationship and any other relationship they might form.  
  
He pulled up to the station and shut off the engine.  
  
"We're here."  
  
A little startled, Sara lifted her head. As she reached for the door handle, Grissom spoke.  
  
"Sara, one more thing."  
  
She turned to face him.  
  
"If we're going to have any chance at a relationship you need to prove to me that you can separate your personal life from your professional life."  
  
"I understand."  
  
"You need to be able to put aside whatever may happen between us and go in and to your job to the best of your ability."  
  
"I gotcha."  
  
Sara watched as Grissom leaned over, placed both hands on her face and kissed her softly, but passionately, and then pulled away.  
  
"Let's go."  
  
With that, he got out of the Tahoe, leaving a wide-eyed Sara. But the shock wore off as she quickly realized the intent of his kiss.  
  
"Damn it!"  
  
He called out to her, "You coming?"  
  
She got out and slammed the door in frustration.  
  
"You're testing me."  
  
He simply grinned.  
  
"I hate tests."  
  
"You love tests."  
  
He was right. A test was a challenge, and Sara loved a challenge.  
  
"Okay, fine. You want professional? I'll give you professional."  
  
He held the door to the station open for her.  
  
"After you, Ms. Sidle."  
  
"Thank you, Mr. Grissom." 


	5. Sheriff Walker

What I Meant to Say - Chapter 5  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters... not at all. Although I wish I owned Grissom ;)  
  
Author's note: Thanks again for all the feedback. It's greatly appreciated. This chapter is a little shorter than the rest. I've got a case of WB! (  
  
______________________________  
  
They walked up to the front desk and waited for the deputy to finish a phone call.  
  
Grissom whispered, "When do you plan on reviewing those papers?"  
  
"I'll look them over on the way to the scene."  
  
They deputy looked up as he hung up the phone.  
  
"How can I help you?"  
  
"Gil Grissom, from the Las Vegas Crime Lab. I got a call from..."  
  
"Me. Sheriff Walker."  
  
He stepped from his office doorway and extended his hand to Grissom.  
  
"Thanks for coming out."  
  
Grissom shook his hand, "I'm Gil Grissom. This is Sara Sidle."  
  
Walker shook Sara's hand, "How do you do, Ms. Sidle?"  
  
Grissom didn't like the way Sheriff Walker was looking at Sara. His eyes scanned her entire body and he held on to her hand a little too long. Sheriff Walker was the type of guy Grissom had pictured Sara would go for; Six foot two, sandy-blonde hair, dark brown eyes, lean and muscular. Grissom was growing more and more jealous until he saw the look on Sara's face. She seemed oblivious. Had she not seen the way Walker had looked at her?  
  
"Just let me grab a few things from my office and we'll drive over."  
  
Grissom nodded, "We'll wait outside."  
  
As they walked out, Grissom noticed a big smile on Sara's face.  
  
"What are you smiling at?"  
  
"Are you going to get jealous every time someone shakes my hand, or was this a one time occurrence?"  
  
"Jealous?"  
  
"Yes, jealous."  
  
"I was not jealous."  
  
"You were SO jealous."  
  
"I was not... but if I were, it wouldn't be because of the handshake. That guy was ogling you."  
  
"He was not."  
  
"Oh, yes he was."  
  
"He may have given me a once-over, but he was not ogling... though I can see how your jealousy would make it seem worse than it was."  
  
She grinned and he shot her a look, "Very funny."  
  
They were both laughing when Sheriff Walker came out.  
  
"You two will have to follow in your car. I'll show you where the intruder entered, then I'll have to head back. There are a couple of officers there if you need anything."  
  
As they drove to the crime scene, Sara reviewed the papers, and Grissom was pleased to see that she was no longer distracted. Maybe this would work after all.  
  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
  
Sara closed the folder and looked around. She had finished going over the papers, but they were still on the road.  
  
"I thought you said this was a small town?"  
  
"Small in population... less than one thousand residents, but the population is mostly upper-middle class. That means big houses with lots of land between them. The perfect crime opportunity."  
  
"Tell me about it. It reminds me of 'Scream'."  
  
"The painting?"  
  
"No, it's a movie about... Never mind. I'll put it on our To Do list."  
  
Grissom raised an eyebrow at her.  
  
Ten minutes later they turned into a long, winding driveway that led up to a large Victorian house. The intruder entered through the back, so that's where they started.  
  
"Well, Mr. Grissom, I have get back to the station. All the details are in those papers I faxed you. If you need help getting back when you're done you can follow one of the officers."  
  
"Thank you, Sheriff."  
  
Sara, camera in hand, had already started surveying the scene. She put on her gloves and started sorting through the broken glass on the floor where a sliding door had been smashed. She noticed something on a few of the pieces. As she looked closer she saw spots on the floor. She took a swab then pulled the luminol from her kit.  
  
Grissom walked over, "You got something?"  
  
"Blood."  
  
"Why didn't you call me over?"  
  
"Do I have to call you every time I find something? What if I were working solo? Would I have to call you on your cell every time I found something? It's not very professional."  
  
Grissom glared at her, "No one likes a smart ass, Sidle."  
  
He winked at her as he walked off, "We have a lot of area to cover in this house. Pace yourself." 


	6. Wrapping Up and Falling Down

What I Meant to Say – Chapter 6  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters......... not at all. Although I wish I owned Grissom ;)  
  
Author's note: Sorry for the long break between chapters. I've had a busy couple of months. All feedback appreciated.  
  
______________________________  
  
The local coroner was called in to transport the body back to Las Vegas. Grissom and Sara went through the house twice, making sure nothing was overlooked. In addition to the blood on the glass and floor, they found shoe prints, footprints, a gun with fingerprints, and a thoroughly trashed house.  
  
Sara compared the victim's shoes in the bedroom closet to the shoeprints and found a match.  
  
"Gris......... these prints match the vic's shoes......... no wonder they're all over the place."  
  
"How do you know they're his shoes?"  
  
"Well, they were in his closet. So, unless the killer took off his shoes and left bare........." She paused a moment as Grissom raised an eyebrow at her. "When we get to the lab I'll check the footprints."  
  
He smiled and nodded approval, then thought a minute. He had to consider every possibility.  
  
"Let's say for a minute you're right and those are the vic's shoes. This house still looks like it was robbed and there's still a dead body."  
  
"Very true."  
  
Grissom turned and walked downstairs.  
  
"Officer, when does the garbage get picked up?"  
  
"Should be tomorrow."  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Grissom walked outside and found the trashcans. He lifted the lids of the first two but found nothing out of the ordinary. When he lifted the third lid he found a smaller, heavier bag on top of the regular trash bag. He took a picture then opened the bag. Inside, he found silverware, the victim's wallet, and a few other very valuable items. He brought the bag back inside. Sara was going over the area where the victim had been one more time. Grissom walked up to her holding the bag up.  
  
"If you went through all this......... trashed the house, killed the owner......... would you leave the loot in the trash on your way out?"  
  
"Not in this lifetime."  
  
"So, looking at the evidence, where does this leave us?"  
  
Sara thought for a minute then grinned, "To the Bat Cave, Boy Wonder!"  
  
Grissom chuckled, "Good call."  
  
"Do you have a theory?"  
  
"Maybe."  
  
She smiled, "You want me to drive?"  
  
"I can manage."  
  
They packed up and were back on the road. Sara was quiet, and Grissom was thankful because it gave him time to think. Not about the case. He had a gut feeling about this case. He just needed to see if the evidence backed him up. Right now he was thinking about Sara. He noticed her, several times, just staring at him......... grinning. It didn't seem to interfere with her work, but it was hardly professional and she had promised to remain professional. He had to be one hundred percent sure this would work if he were going to pursue it. That Sara would still be able to do her job no matter what was going on between the two of them.  
  
He looked at her, staring out her window, and decided this would be as good a time as any.  
  
"Sara........."  
  
She turned to face him, but his eyes were back on the road.  
  
"Sara, I don't think this is going to work."  
  
She knew it was coming. He was too quiet. He'd let himself think about it too much.  
  
"What won't work?"  
  
"Us." "Why not?"  
  
"It was interfering with your work, Sara."  
  
She sat straight up and turned in her seat to face him.  
  
"How was it........."  
  
"You kept staring at me."  
  
"I can't look at you?"  
  
"Not the way you were......... certainly not at a crime scene. It's not professional. Something like that could give us away and we would both lose our jobs."  
  
"Okay, I won't stare at you anymore."  
  
"I can't take that chance. I won't let you ruin your career over this."  
  
"Damn it, Grissom! I could find another job......... and so could you!"  
  
"The subject is closed Sara."  
  
She stared at him until she felt tears stinging her eyes, and then turned to look out her window again. The rest of ride was quiet and tense. 


	7. Professionalism At Its Finest

What I Meant to Say – Chapter 7  
  
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters......... not at all. Although I wish I owned Grissom ;)  
  
Author's note: This is the final chapter. All feedback appreciated.  
  
______________________________  
  
When they arrived back at the lab Sara quietly helped unload the evidence and then stood, waiting for her orders. She gathered what Grissom told her to and went to work. Grissom could see that she was upset, but he was thankful to see it wasn't interfering with her work. Sara dropped the blood off in the DNA lab on her way to examine the footprints taken from the crime scene.  
  
A few hours later, on her way to get the DNA results from Greg, Sara's beeper went off. She checked it and saw Grissom's number.  
  
"Great," she mumbled.  
  
Greg looked up as she entered the room.  
  
"Hey, Greg. Can I use your phone?"  
  
"Knock yourself out, babe."  
  
"Thanks."  
  
She dialed and the phone rang only twice.  
  
"Grissom."  
  
"You beeped me?"  
  
"Where are you?"  
  
"DNA lab."  
  
"Did you get the results yet?"  
  
"Hang on..." She turned to Greg, "Do you have my results?"  
  
"Sure do. The blood at the scene matches the vic's."  
  
"Thanks... Gris, it's the vic's blood on the glass."  
  
"That's what I thought. What about the footprints?"  
  
"Also the vic's."  
  
There was a long pause. Sara waited for Grissom to say something, but he stayed quiet.  
  
"Grissom, you still there?"  
  
Still nothing.  
  
"Grissom!"  
  
After a short pause, Grissom spoke, "Yeah... still here. Stop by my office with those results. There's something I need to show you."  
  
"I'm on my way."  
  
Sara hung up the phone and said a quick thanks to Greg on her way out. When Greg looked up she was already gone, so he waved goodbye to the air in the doorway.  
  
As Sara walked into Grissom's office he held out a piece of paper.  
  
"I found this folded in the vic's wallet."  
  
Sara took it and read it aloud, "'I alone am guilty of my death. I only staged the break-in to protect my family from the truth. Please don't tell them I took my own life.' So, he killed himself?"  
  
"Looks that way."  
  
"You knew the whole time didn't you?"  
  
"I had a hunch."  
  
"Some hunch."  
  
Grissom smiled. The earlier events seemed to have been forgotten... or at the very least pushed aside. Maybe they would work after all.  
  
"I also checked up on his background."  
  
"Another hunch?"  
  
He smiled again, "He used to head a forensics lab in L.A."  
  
"So, he knew exactly what to do so we would figure it out, but not his family."  
  
"Exactly... And he waited until they were out of town. His wife took the kids to visit family out of state."  
  
Sara suddenly looked grim.  
  
"What do we tell his family?"  
  
"That's up to Sheriff Walker. I'll fax over the results as soon as everything is finalized."  
  
"Good... Do you need me for anything else? That trip was pretty tiring..."  
  
"No... go get some sleep."  
  
Sara didn't need to be told twice. She collected her things and went home. _______________________________  
  
Once Sara was home the tiredness wore off. She tried to go to sleep but all she could do was think of Grissom and the ride back to Las Vegas.  
  
A few hours later there was a knock at the door.  
  
"Who is it?"  
  
"The jerk of the century."  
  
"Oh... Grissom," she said loud enough for him to hear. She slowly walked over to the door and opened it slightly. "What do you want?"  
  
"To apologize."  
  
She didn't expect that. She hadn't even expected him to show up at her door, but here he was.  
  
"So, apologize."  
  
"Can I come in?"  
  
She turned and walked over to sit on the sofa, leaving him to close the door himself. He stood in the middle of the room, afraid that he would lose his nerve if he sat down.  
  
"I was a real jerk on the ride home. I just started over-thinking everything..."  
  
"You hurt me, Grissom."  
  
"I know."  
  
"You messed with my emotions just to put me through some stupid test."  
  
"I..." He stared at her. "You knew what I was doing?"  
  
"Not at first, but after awhile... I had a hunch."  
  
She smiled and Grissom realized she had been playing along.  
  
"Some hunch."  
  
They both smiled and Grissom finally set down beside Sara.  
  
"I really am sorry."  
  
"I know."  
  
"And, you know, you were staring at me too much."  
  
"Think about it, Gris. Was anyone else ever around when I was staring?"  
  
He thought for a moment.  
  
"Not that I can recall."  
  
"I knew what I was doing. I can't help it if you're easy on the eyes."  
  
Sara thought she saw Grissom blush and decided to keep the conversation moving so he wouldn't get uncomfortable.  
  
"I've proven that I can be professional, right?"  
  
"Yes, you did."  
  
They were both quiet for a few minutes, just enjoying being next to each other, and then Grissom broke the silence.  
  
"What do we do now?"  
  
Sara smiled, "Have dinner with me?"  
  
Grissom was taken back to that night after the explosion when she had asked him that very same question. He wasn't fool enough to make the same mistake twice.  
  
"Your place or mine?"  
  
Sara smiled and kissed him lightly on the lips. As she pulled away, Grissom looked into her eyes.  
  
"You know, the night you first asked me that..."  
  
"Mmhmmm..."  
  
"That's what I meant to say." 


End file.
